What is quality?
As stated above, quality is defined as: ”The standard of something as measured against other things of a similar kind; the degree of excellence of something“. The concept of value is somewhat subjective and often individual - so is translation quality. First we have to define quality in order to determine what makes a good translation.
This is where concepts such as target audience, terminology, semantics, syntax, style, etc. come in. In short, what can be an excellent text for some can be sub-par for others if it’s not adapted for the right audience. It is extremely important to adapt terminology to suit the target audience and it is thus paramount that you tell us to whom we should tailor the translation, in order to apply to the required vocabulary level. As poet Erik Axel Karlfeldt wrote, “He speaks with peasants in the manner of peasants, with learned men, he speaks Latin.”.
The right translator for your project
All of our translators are educated to at least university degree level, many also possess a PhD. As a result they have an excellent grasp of linguistics, specialist knowledge, and a very high level of general education. This is a prerequisite to translating to the highest quality. As a result, a translator must be selected for their suitability when it comes to both style and terminology, so that the end result is suitable for those who will ultimately read it, and so that it is neither too difficult nor too simple.
The right translator for each particular subject matter
We choose all our translators with the utmost care, i.e. a translator who has an excellent knowledge of the source language and is a native user of the target language. In addition, they will specialize in your particular subject matter, regardless of whether that is law/patents, medicine, finance, marketing/PR, IT/technology/engineering or tourism.
When we say that we partner with translators who are specialized in a particular field, we mean that they have either specialist training as a translator in that field or have professional experience as a key player in that field. Put simply, the translator has the necessary skills to deliver a professional translation, which, in all respects, lives up to extremely high requirements, with respect to both linguistics and terminology.
What makes a good translation?
A translation should reflect both the meaning and tone of the original text – it should act like a manifestation in a new language. It is undeniably a challenge to translate the ”feel" of the document in addition to the content. Only those who are native in the target language and who have superior knowledge of the source language and subject can deliver on this.
As an ISO 17100-certified translation agency, we guarantee to deliver translations of the highest quality. Your satisfaction is of utmost importance to us. If for any reason you are unhappy with your translation, we will translate your text again from scratch. That said, it is appropriate to point out that no translation can be better than the original text.
